The Maryland Lottery is ready to welcome two big winners of $1 million and $100,000 from Mega Millions and Five Card Cash drawings last weekend.

No one hit the Mega Millions jackpot in the Friday, Aug. 26 drawing, but a subscription holder from Bowie won $1 million. The subscriber’s ticket matched the first five numbers that were drawn – 10, 11, 31, 41 and 44 – and missed only the Mega Ball number, which was 14. There were 33,996 other Maryland winners in that drawing of prizes ranging from $1 to $5,000. With no jackpot winner on Friday, the jackpot for the next Mega Millions drawing on Tuesday, Aug. 30 rolled to $84 million with a cash option of $58.1 million.

The $100,000 top-prize 5 Card Cash ticket in the Sunday, Aug. 28 drawing was sold in St. Mary’s County. The lucky retailer, Third Base located at 28085 Point Lookout Road in Loveville, will receive a bonus of $1,000 from the Lottery – equal to 1 percent of the prize value – for selling a winning 5 Card Cash ticket valued at $10,000 or more. The winning cards were the jack of diamonds, 5 of clubs, 10 of clubs, 6 of diamonds and 9 of hearts.

5 Card Cash is a poker-style terminal game using a 52-card playing deck. The $2 quick-pick game has an instant-win feature, with prizes up to $10,000. Players can win up to $100,000 if their cards match the ones in the nightly drawings. Players win the $100,000 top prize by matching all five cards drawn.

It’s the second time in two weeks that a big winner has been sold in St. Mary’s County. A Mechanicsville couple claimed a $775,000 Multi-Match jackpot after buying a ticket for the Aug. 22 drawing at McKay’s Food & Drug in Charlotte Hall.

Lottery officials urge the 5 Card Cash winner to sign the back of the ticket and keep it in a safe place. Winners have 182 days to claim Lottery prizes and must come in person to Lottery headquarters at 1800 Washington Blvd. in Baltimore. Lottery officials will notify the Mega Millions subscription winner.

A Baltimore woman who is enjoying a run of great luck with the Maryland Lottery’s 5 Card Cash game just collected its largest instant-win prize. One of the three $2 tickets she purchased on July 20 for the poker-style game delivered a Royal Flush, worth $10,000.

“I fell in love with 5 Card Cash,” the lucky winner said. “I’ve found that lately if I buy three in a row I end up winning something.”

The game has an instant-win feature that lets players win money based on which five randomly selected playing cards show up on their tickets. The Royal Flush (a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit) pays the game’s top instant prize of $10,000. Nightly drawings give players an additional chance to win prizes ranging from $3 to $100,000 depending on how many cards they match.

“This is the third time this year I’ve won something big,” the lucky winner said. She has collected two $1,000 wins playing 5 Card Cash.

On her latest lucky day – July 20, she purchased three tickets at Dolfield Fresh Food Market, located at 3521 Dolfield Avenue in Baltimore. One ticket gave her a Free Play for another 5 Card Cash ticket. Another ticket was a $50 instant winner. When she handed the third ticket to the cashier, she was told the ticket couldn’t be cashed in the store. Fortunately, she has the My Lottery Rewards app on her mobile phone, which allows players to scan tickets and instantly find out their prize values.

“I took out my phone and scanned it and real quick I put it (the ticket) in a plastic bag and went home,” she said. “Then, I called my sister and told her ‘Come over!’ ”

The happy winner said the prize comes at the perfect time because she has bills to pay. Meanwhile, she’s hoping her lucky 5 Card Cash winning streak continues.

The retailer is a winner as well. For selling a 5 Card Cash ticket worth at least $10,000, Dolfield Fresh Food Market will receive a $100 bonus from the Maryland Lottery – equal to 1 percent of the prize value.

There are two ways to win playing 5 Card Cash, as every fan of the game knows – instantly and during each night’s drawing. A Dundalk man beat the odds to do just that, claiming a $10,000 instant win with his ticket’s Royal Flush and a $3 win in the July 5 drawing for a two-card match.

The retired General Motors employee told Lottery officials that he enjoys the game tremendously, playing just about every night.

“I was out with my wife and grandkids last week when I stopped in the Soda Pop Store to get a ticket,” said the 71-year-old. “I saw the cards and was certain that I’d won something, but not how much.”

Unable to wait until he returned home, the Baltimore County man visited another Maryland Lottery retailer to seek help determining how much cash he had coming. “I could tell by her expression that it was big,” he said. “When she said $10,000, I was shocked. My wife just refused to believe it could be.”

The big winner, who plans to keep playing his favorite Lottery game, said this prize will go toward eliminating family debt. “I enjoy trying to match the cards every night and, though I know winning the $100,000 top prize is a long shot, so was winning this check I have today,” he said. “It can happen.”

The game’s latest $10,000 win came at the Soda Pop Store located at 7715 Westfield Road in Dundalk. For selling a winning 5 Card Cash ticket of $10,000, the retailer will receive a $100 bonus from the Lottery.

A 75-year-old fan of 5 Card Cash said she plays the game often because she always gets “a little something back.”

But on June 14 she got a lot more than just a little in return when she purchased a $2 ticket: She instantly won $10,000.

The poker-style game is unique because it offers two ways for players to win. There is a nightly drawing where five cards out of a standard 52-card playing deck are selected, and players win if they match at least two of the five cards drawn. But the ticket also has an instant-win feature, where players receive cash if the poker hand on their ticket shows a pair of Jacks or better.

The retired secretary from Montgomery County had a Royal Flush on her ticket – the 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of Spades – delivering $10,000, the game’s top instant prize. The lucky winner knows poker and could see right away that she had a Royal Flush.

“I knew I won something, but I didn’t know how much,” she said. “It was a nice surprise when the cashier told me I instantly won $10,000.”

The winner immediately called one of her brothers, who is a skeptic of the game, to share the good news.

“Even though he’s not a fan, he was still happy for me,” she said with a smile, adding that she then shared the news with her other brother and her neighbor, who accompanied her to Lottery headquarters in Baltimore to claim the prize.

She purchased the winning ticket at Goshen Beer and Wine, located at 9150 Rothsbury Drive in Gaithersburg. The Montgomery County retailer will receive a $100 bonus for selling the ticket, equal to 1 percent of the prize value.

The $10,000 winner said she plans to purchase a new television and is unsure about how she will use the rest of her prize. She did share that she planned to treat her friend to lunch for bringing her to claim the prize.

A Pennsylvania man crossed the border hoping for a great deal on the Maryland Lottery’s 5 Card Cash game wound up with just that! His $2 ticket delivered a $10,000 instant win because it held a Royal Flush.

The 71-year-old said he managed the almost impossible.

“It’s such a once in a lifetime thing to happen in the game of poker,” he said.

The resident of Needmore, a town in southern Fulton County, began playing the popular poker-style game about a year ago. Friends shared with him how much fun they had with the game’s play style, which combines an instant win with a daily drawing.

“The last time I won a lot of money playing the Lottery, it was a few years back,” he said. “It was for $2,600 for playing Pick 4.”

He found his Lottery luck at Pittmans Liquor Store located at 1 Virginia Avenue in Hancock. He told Lottery officials that he and his wife would probably save most of the prize and spend a little on some home repairs.

Not familiar with 5 Card Cash? It’s based on a standard poker game using a 52-card playing deck. Each $2 ticket has a chance to win up to two times as an instant win and in the daily evening drawing. You win instantly if your ticket shows a poker hand of a pair of Jacks or better. With the drawing, you win by matching two or more of the randomly drawn cards including the same suit and rank.

Happy birthday to a very lucky Essex man, who can celebrate his big day in style after beating odds of 1 in 649,740 to win $10,000 on the Maryland Lottery’s 5 Card Cash game. Even better, he won with a free ticket!

“It feels really good to win,” he said.

The 63-year-old played his numbers on Aug. 3 like he normally does at the Royal Farms located at 627 Mace Avenue in Baltimore. He purchased his favorite games, including 5 Card Cash. To his surprise, the 5 Card Cash ticket instantly won him a free ticket, thanks to the game’s Free Play feature. Players with a pair of Aces, Kings, Queens or Jacks on their ticket automatically win a free ticket. And, what was even more surprising, he saw the free ticket print out with a Royal Flush, giving him the top instant prize of $10,000.

“I knew right away it was a winner,” said the happy player. “But, I wasn’t sure for how much.”

The retired maintenance worker took his winning free ticket to another local retailer to verify the size of the prize. He celebrates a birthday in a few days, he said, so the prize is an early birthday gift!

5 Card Cash is two games in one. Based on a standard poker game with a 52-card playing deck, the $2 terminal game offers players the chance to win instantly as well as later if the five cards on their ticket matches cards selected during an evening drawing. The Lottery has awarded two $100,000 top prizes to winners in the evening drawing since 2012 and 20 $10,000 top prizes to those with instant wins.

The married man immediately went home and stashed his winning Free Play ticket in his wallet. “I didn’t want to lose it,” he said. The Baltimore County man claimed the prize the next day at Lottery headquarters in Baltimore. What will he do with his birthday surprise? Buy a snowplow truck, he said.

]]>0Trying to “Hit it Big” with the Orioles Yields Much Bigger Winhttp://www.mdlottery.com/trying-to-%e2%80%9chit-it-big%e2%80%9d-with-the-orioles-yields-much-bigger-win/
http://www.mdlottery.com/trying-to-%e2%80%9chit-it-big%e2%80%9d-with-the-orioles-yields-much-bigger-win/#commentsTue, 21 May 2013 13:31:49 +0000http://www.mdlottery.com/?p=34050httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7cDuHqIPKM

Shock couldn’t even describe what a 34-year-old Maryland state employee was feeling today as he claimed a $100,000 5 Card Cash prize. He floated on air as he entered Lottery headquarters this afternoon basking in the glow of this recent win. “This feels like a dream,” said the recently married man.

This baseball fan was only playing 5 Card Cash so that he could enter his non-winning tickets into the “Hit it Big” second-chance contest. Actually winning a cash prize on the game itself was the last thing on his mind. “Are you kidding, me,” he exclaimed. “This is crazy.”

The father-of-four purchased the ticket yesterday and put it in his pocket not thinking to check it until today while at work. He went on the computer and saw that his ticket matched last night’s drawing, suit and rank. The winner said he immediately called his wife to share the news. But, she thought that since the cards were not in the same order, that it was not a winner. “Boy is she going to be surprised,” he smiled. Still, to make sure, he told his boss he was leaving for the day and checked the ticket two more times at a Lottery retailer. Confirmed for the third time, the winner headed to Lottery headquarters to claim the prize.

We can get that house now,” he said when asked what his plans were for the winnings. But, he was still too excited to say what else he might do. “Tell my wife it’s been confirmed,” he said. “She’s been sitting on pins and needles since I told her.” The winning ticket was purchased at the 7-11 store located at 9617 Belair Road in Nottingham.

This is the second 5 Card Cash $100,000 top-prize win since the game began in November 2012.

Players can enter non-winning 5 Card Cash tickets, with the Orioles logo on the top of the ticket, at mdlottery.com/orioles. The contest offers players the chance to win cash and prizes.

Lottery officials have been patiently awaiting the arrival of the 5 Card Cash game’s first $100,000 top-tier winner from the February 28 drawing. The mystery was solved today when a Pikesville woman claimed the prize. The 58-year-old recently found the ticket — under her car mat — when she went to renew her vehicle’s registration.

The lucky winner decided to check the ticket at a store, which is when she learned the prize was too high to cash and she had to take it to Lottery headquarters. After returning home, the woman went on the Lottery’s website and saw that her ticket matched all five cards drawn. “I called my aunt and uncle right away,” she said. “They just told me that this couldn’t have happened to a better person.”

To make things even sweeter, the lucky woman realized her big win only days after retiring from her job as a corrections officer. “This is a pretty big week for me,” the woman said quietly. “I’ve never won anything this big before. It’ll be nice having this money now that I’m retired.”

The new retiree plans to pay off some bills and is looking forward to enjoying retirement to the fullest. “Now that I’m retired, I have some time to take care of a few things,” she said smiling. “When I go home, I’ll just get back to my spring cleaning. I’ve really been trying to get that done.” The lucky ticket was purchased at the Plaza Amoco BP at 6220 Reisterstown Rd. in Baltimore City.

A Parkville woman took full advantage of the most recent Keno promotion which offers a free 5 Card Cashticket with a $10 Keno purchase. To her surprise, the free 5 Card Cash ticket printed with a Royal Flush worth $10,000.

The woman, who plays $10 on Keno every week, had no idea what her ticket was worth when it first printed out. “At first I thought I needed to wait until the evening,” she told Lottery officials. “My friend saw the ticket, and told me that I had definitely won something big.” After double checking with a 5 Card Cash pamphlet she was shocked to see that her ticket was worth $10,000.

The humble winner saw this was life’s way of “paying it forward.” The woman, who works two jobs and always jumps at the chance to help others, is excited to be able to pass the generosity on. “I’m definitely going to give the bartender who sold me my ticket a nice tip when I see him next,” she said with a huge grin.

The first-time 5 Card Cash player said she will definitely continue to take advantage of the promotion while playing Keno through the rest of the month. She plans to use some of the winnings to help a friend and wants to save the rest. The winning ticket was purchased at Freddies, located at 660 Boulton Street in Bel Air. Through November 25, 2012, all Keno purchases of at least $10 will receive a free 5 Card Cash ticket.